What did you learn (or unlearn) while working on them?
I was surprised to realised while painting it how serious I've been for the last year or two, and with these pieces I learned how to have fun painting again. I couldn't stop painting and honestly I could have painted about four exhibitions worth of work, I was just having such a good time.

What words, ideas or emotions were going through your head?
The work in this show is a love letter to New York City which was my home before I moved to the UK. Each piece is about a specific memory in a specific place in the City, so I was thinking a lot about New York, my memories and the concept of home.

Were there any conversations, movies, music, or books that made their way into that work?
One of the pieces is called "Gershwin at the Philharmonic" which is, unsurprisingly, about one of my favourite concerts I went to at the New York Philharmonic where they performed Rhapsody in Blue. I listened to Gerswhin while painting it and I think you can feel it in the finished piece.

What's been the most difficult thing you've faced recently in your creative process?
The most difficult thing I faced while painting this show was time. I have a baby who was between four and eight months old while I was painting this show, and I had to wake up early and paint before anyone else in the house was awake. Being an artist who is also a mother takes a lot of flexibility and determination.

What is your favorite coffee shop and why do you like going there?
My work is very solitary so I've come to rely on coffee shops over the years to get me out of the studio. Because of this I have a deep love and appreciation for coffee shops and have a list of favourites from the cities I've lived in. In New York my favourite is Sensuous Bean on the Upper West Side, it's the most incredibly smelling place in the world. In York, England my favourite coffees were from Partisan, Stanley & Ramona and The Pig & Pastry. Here in London I go to my local which is Momentum.

If your life were a movie this month, what would it be called and who would write the soundtrack?
If my life were a movie this month the title would be "Empire State of Mind" and the soundtrack would be a cheesy combination of all the famous New York songs - JayZ, Lou Reed, Billy Joel, Frank Sinatra.

Which studios, laboratories, or workshops have you collaborated with recently or would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I finished a collaboration earlier this month with a wonderful company called PerfumerH here in London. Lyn, the owner, is the most incredible perfumer with an unbelievably refined understanding of her craft. I painted two pieces to serve as visuals for her fragrance "Ink" which were these deep swirling blue paintings. I loved the synesthetic challenge of creating the visual representation of a scent.

Recommend one or more artists you follow who inspire you, and tell us what you like most about their work or their way of working.
There are so many artists whose work I greatly admire and too many of them I've only met or seen online, so here I'll mention a few that I had the chance to meet in person last month. Florence Houston is a wonderful painter with a keen sense of colour. Her work is beautifully crafted, but full of playfulness as well. Nancy Nicholson is a textile artist whose elegant pieces make me feel calm and connected to the earth in a grounding, beautiful way. Laxmi Hussain is a painter whose punchy blue portraits of motherhood are both bold and soft. Sophie Sellu is a sculptor and woodworker making the most refined, elevated brushes and objects in a style that seems to have a language of its own.

Cat Spilman

American-born British artist living and working in London. Her looping paintings are abstracted self portraits dealing with themes of distance, belonging, motherhood and feminism.

www.instagram.com/catannedunlea

La entrada Dear New York se publicó primero en ERRR MAGAZINE.

What was the creative process of this piece, from the origin until it was finished?
I stretched and primed the canvas, then started by drawing a border with black crayon. That always makes me feel like I’ve set the stage for the piece. I’ve been playing with wider brushes to see what kind of texture I can get in the brush stroke, and this piece was one where I was really enjoying the movement of the lines and their relationship to each other.

What were your references, influences or inspirations during your creative process?
I try not to think of anything too specific when I paint, or to have anything designed in advance. If I try to paint with a specific outcome in mind the pieces inevitably lose their energy.

I was very happy that the person who bought it commissioned a second piece to go with it – one for each of his children. I thought it was a lovely idea. Art is such a meaningful gift and one that can be passed down from generation to generation.

What did you enjoy the most about the process?
Realizing that my painting could still feel organic and interesting with straight lines and hard edges.

What was the hardest thing for you and how did you solve it?
The most difficult thing with these brushes is achieving a consistently saturated line. I want the brush marks to have life and energy and not be flat, solid lines, but I also want them to be strong and sturdy.

Cat Spilman

American-born British artist living and working in London. Her looping paintings are abstracted self portraits dealing with themes of distance, belonging, motherhood and feminism.

www.instagram.com/catannedunlea

La entrada Pepe se publicó primero en ERRR MAGAZINE.